Target Of The Orders (Book 3) (10 page)
Read Target Of The Orders (Book 3) Online
Authors: Ron Collins
Sunathri placed her hand on his shoulder. Her touch drew at his life force.
He looked at Will, who stood currying a horse in the distance. He would have to find some way to protect the boy.
“You know this isn’t finished,” he said. “Elman is dead, but the orders will hunt me until it’s over.”
“Yes, they will,” Darien replied.
“I’m going to stop this now.”
Darien and Sunathri exchanged hesitant glances.
“What are you saying?” Sunathri said.
“I’m saying I’ll not be made a pawn any longer. The planewalkers cannot get away with this. Braxidane cannot make me do this. The orders have god-touched mages. I’m going to confront them. I’m going to end this one way or the other. I’m going to find them, now.”
“Don’t be stupid, Garrick,” Darien replied.
“Stupid or not, this needs to happen. This is killing me.”
“A direct confrontation is not as bad of an idea as it might sound,” Sunathri said.
“You can’t be serious.” Darien said.
“Yes, I am. If Garrick can control the confrontation, he might be better off than if he lets the orders set the table. The bigger problem, though, is that I don’t think Garrick can get either of their god-touched mages to go anywhere without their armies.”
“Like that makes a difference,” Darien said.
“It means Garrick needs an army to make his idea happen.”
They sat in silence.
“What’s your plan, Garrick?” Sunathri said.
“Holy gods, woman,” Darien replied. “His plan? His plan? Are you listening to yourself? This is Garrick. He has no
plan
. I mean, beyond calling out to the orders so he can fall on his sword. It’s not happening. Garrick is not facing either of the other god-touched mages one-on-one.”
“Actually,” Garrick said. “I need to face them both at the same time.”
Darien threw himself backward on the grass, spreading his arms out wide.
“First we can’t get you to join us, and now you’re off the cliff and talking about combating every mage on the plane at once.”
“They don’t work well together, Darien. Their approaches are different. Each time I’ve encountered mixed groups their whole has been less than the sum of their parts. On the other hand, Elman had only Lectodinians in his party, and he nearly destroyed me. I think I stand a better chance one on two than I do if I address them alone.”
“All right,” Sunathri said again. “What’s your plan, Garrick?” Then, clearly interjecting before Darien could reply, “How do you intend to neutralize their god-touched?”
He surprised himself by laughing. He didn’t expect Sunathri to treat his plan with such earnest thought.
“I have no idea, but I expect I’ll have to draw them out.”
“See?” Darien replied, sitting up again.
“We’ll definitely want to control the time and place of the meeting,” Sunathri said.
“It’s too risky,” Darien said.
“What isn’t?” Sunathri replied. “I say we stop complaining about it and set to helping our friend.”
“I’m sorry, Suni,” Garrick said. “Darien’s right. I can’t join the Freeborn.”
Sunathri chuckled.
“I really am sorry,” Garrick said.
“Don’t mistake my laughter, Garrick,” Sunathri said. “I’m not asking you to join the Freeborn. I’m saying that if you won’t join us, we’ll join you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We’ve worked too hard to fail now. You mean everything to this House. You don’t have to accept us for us to accept you.”
“I’m not telling anyone what to do.”
“I’m giving the directions, so you’re only taking command if you don’t let us help you.”
Then it was Garrick’s turn to chuckle. “I’m speechless.”
“That’s not exactly a first,” Darien said.
“The Freeborn is not an army, though,” Sunathri said. “We can’t stand up against two full armies of mercenary men enriched with god-touched wizardry. We’ll need help.”
She stared at Darien.
“Can you convince your father to support Dorfort joining the fight?”
Darien cleared his throat. “I don’t know.”
“Darien has not spoken to his father in some time,” Garrick said.
Sunathri simply stared at him.
“I can try,” Darien finally said.
“It’s all we can ask,” Sunathri replied.
She ran her hand through her thick hair and looked at Garrick. “I think we can name the time and place of your clash—as long as the orders are as serious about getting rid of you as they appear to be.”
“How?” Garrick asked.
“You offer yourself as bait—challenge them to a duel neither can turn down without losing face.”
“I can see that,” Garrick said. “And we choose a place where the god-touched mages have to leave their armies.”
“Exactly.”
Sunathri’s eyes burned with eagerness.
“It could work,” Garrick replied.
“Is there such a place?” Darien said.
“Yes,” Garrick said. “There is.”
Both Sunathri and Darien looked at him.
“God’s Tower.”
Silence filled the moment.
God’s Tower was a solitary snow-capped mountain peak to the south of the Desert of Dust. If legend was true it was the location of the failed council of wizardry that had resulted in the very birth of the orders.
“It’s perfect,” Sunathri finally said.
Darien raised an eyebrow in contemplation.
“The surrounding land
would
make it difficult for the orders’ armies to maneuver. And the tower itself could defend one flank.”
“I see just one problem,” Garrick said. “How do we contact the orders to make this challenge?”
Sunathri gave a smile. “Leave that to me.”
The three paused, and a lightness of being rose inside Garrick. Where once there was nothing, now he saw the outline of a true plan. Where once he felt hopeless, now he felt a camaraderie that he had never felt before.
Darien would work to gather Dorfort’s army, Sunathri would wield the Freeborn with her normal aplomb, and Garrick … Garrick would look the orders’ god-touched mages in the eye.
He was no longer a mere apprentice. He was Garrick, god-touched mage of Braxidane.
This would end here.
Sunathri stood up and smoothed her pant leg.
“I think it’s time you addressed the Freeborn directly,” she said. “I’ll let them know what we are doing, but they will appreciate hearing from you.”
Garrick nodded. “I think you’re right.”
He looked at his friends.
He wasn’t alone.
It felt strange. It felt different.
Yes, he thought as both he and Darien stood up. A man has a place he’s given, and a place he belongs. Sometimes they’re even the same thing.
* * * * *
This is the end of
Target of the Orders
, but the story of Garrick, Sunathri, Darien, and the struggle between the orders continues in
Gathering of the God-Touched
, due to be published December 2014!
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The Saga of the God-Touched Mage includes:
Glamour of the God-Touched
Trail of the Torean
Target of the Orders
Gathering of the God-Touched
Pawn of the Planewalker
Changing of the Guard
Lord of the Freeborn
Lords of Existence
APPENDIX
* * * * *
Map of the Plane of Adruin
image by Ron Collins
Acknowledgements
The universe of Adruin and All of Existence has many people to thank for its existence, not the least of which are Tim Brown, Mike Cox, Ken and Jackie Peters, and my wife, Lisa.
I need to single out a few others for their efforts beyond all the rest.
My friend, collaborator, and pre-reader John Bodin’s help was—as always—superlative. I want to thank my daughter, Brigid, for stepping into the fray when I needed her. And I want to give thanks to my cover artist, Rachel Carpenter, who was great fun to work with and who did a fantastic job bringing Garrick to life.
Mostly, though, I have to thank Lisa for everything she’s done for me. Saga of the God-Touched Mage has gone through more twists and turns than I could ever have predicted when the idea first hit, and she’s been with me through every step. (Don’t worry, honey. It’s really done. Really, I mean it. It’s done. You don’t have to read it for the 111th time!).
About Ron Collins
Ron Collins is an award-winning author who lives in Columbus, Indiana, with his wife, Lisa.
Target of the Orders
is the third volume in the eight-part
Saga of the God-Touched Mage
. Ron published
Five Magics
, a collection of his short fantasy, in 2012.
Five Magics
includes two tales from
Dragon Magazine,
a
Marion Zimmer Bradley’s FANTASY MAGAZINE
Cauldron Award winning story, and another tale that was awarded Honorable Mention in Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling's “Years Best Fantasy.”